‘Idol’ mania continues

Morning Ratings Flash - Rick Kissell

Fox crushed its rivals for an 11th straight Tuesday since “American Idol” premiered, as the music talent show and drama “24” combined to give the net an easy victory on the night in all key categories, according to preliminary nationals from Nielsen. ABC, meanwhile, did pretty well with its rejiggered comedy lineup, which included a solid bow for “Lost at Home.”

“American Idol” (9.5/25 in adults 18-49, 21.1 million viewers overall) again topped its combined ABC-CBS-NBC competish from 8 to 9, while “24” (6.3/16 in adults 18-49, 12.6 million viewers overall) easily won at 9.

At ABC, “According to Jim” placed second in adults 18-49 with original episodes at 8:30 (3.6/9) and its new 9 o’clock timeslot (4.2/10), where it defeated an original episode of NBC’s “Frasier” (3.5/9) – the net’s first victory over an original “Frasier” since the NBC vet moved back to Tuesday in October 2000.

New comedy “Lost at Home” (3.9/10 in adults 18-49, 8.4 million viewers overall) retained a solid 93% of its 18-49 “Jim” lead-in and placed second in the demo with the Alphabet’s best regular-series score in the slot since December.

NBC’s “Three Stooges Anniversary” spec averaged a third-place 2.9/8 in adults 18-49 at 8, while the season finale of the net’s comedy “A.U.S.A.” recorded a third-place 3.2/8 at 9:30.

CBS had a sluggish night, as all three of its dramas hit firstrun season lows. “Judging Amy” (3.3/9 in adults 18-49, 12.1 million viewers overall) remained the net’s standout Tuesday performer, finishing in a virtual three-way tie for the 10 o’clock hour’s 18-49 lead and moving ahead in adults 25-54 and total viewers.

Also at 10, ABC’s “Barbara Walters Special,” originally to air on the night of the Academy Awards, settled for a ho-hum 3.3/9 in adults 18-49 and 8 million viewers overall. NBC’s “Dateline” netted a 3.4/9 in 18-49 and 8.2 million viewers overall.